Ecuador-US 'war' with drug cartels begins with two-week operation

Ecuador over the weekend launched a major military offensive against drug “mafias” in the country, an operation that is being carried out with support from the United States.

Over the next two weeks, criminal organizations in several violence-plagued provinces, including Guayas, Los Rios, and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, are being targeted, with U.S. logistical support. Authorities have imposed a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the coastal provinces, effective until March 30. A total of 75,000 Ecuadoran police and soldiers have been deployed in the effort, according to Interior Minister John Reimberg.